The EU offered to reactivate and extend its monitoring of the Rafiah crossing with Egypt and other border posts, provided there will be a UN Security Council mandate for the mission and a sustainable cease-fire in place, according to AP

The EU foreign ministers said the bloc is also prepared to prevent arms smuggling and launch a training program for Palestinian Authority police and customs officers to be deployed in Gaza.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry welcomed on Friday the call by the European Union (EU) for terrorist groups in Gaza to disarm.

The EU’s call came in a statement in which the bloc offered to take charge of Gaza's border crossings and work to prevent illegal arms flows.

“Israel, like the foreign ministers of the European Union in their statement tonight, places great importance on the Egyptian initiative to achieve a long and steady calm,” said the Foreign Ministry’s statement.

“Israel welcomes the ministers’ repeated calls for the terrorist organizations in Gaza to disarm. A commitment to the principle of demilitarization, which will be implemented by an effective monitoring mechanism, will ensure that the situation changes fundamentally,” the statement added.

“As always, Israel will continue to maintain a dialogue with the European Union on these important questions,” it concluded.

The EU’s statement comes amid continued talks between the sides for a long-term ceasefire. The talks are mediated by Egypt which has reportedly offered an 11-point ceasefire plan to the sides.